Practicum in Veterinary Medicine
Vet Practicum is a unique opportunity and option as a Practicum in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources course. This course is designed for students that have completed the pre-requisite course Veterinary Medical Applications and would like to potentially pursue a career in veterinary medicine. While students can be enrolled in the course without completing the Certified Veterinary Assistant Certification, the ultimate goal of the course is for students to be CVA Level One certified by the end of the school year.
The certification portion of the course is achieved by fulfilling the requirements of the certification as set by the Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA). The requirements include 300 hrs of clinical supervision so that students can work on performance and mastery of the skills on the CVA checklist. The course allows time built in to the school day for students to earn those 300 hrs. While not all hours will be done during class time, students are able to achieve a large portion of them. Students must seek additional opportunities (i.e. part-time employment or volunteering/shadowing) to meet the minimum hours requirement. Additionally, there is a certification test that is administered at the end of the school year. It is taken online and students will know immediately whether they have met the minimum qualifications set forth by the TVMA for certification. If they do earn their certification, patches and a certificate are issued to the student via mail to the campus.
Students seek out an internship with a local clinic or shelter and shadow under a DVM or LVT. Practicum partnerships may be sought out with the assistance of the instructor but it is the student's responsibility to make contact with a clinic that interests them and give them the proper pre-employment/internship documents i.e. resume, cover letter, and practicum packet. Since Vandegrift and Leander H.S. are the only campuses with this program, students from other home campuses are able to subcampus for this course. Students should be in contact with the transition coordinator for their campus for paperwork and scheduling.
It is the practicum teacher's responsibility to check in with the clinic each 6 weeks and give them an evaluation tool to evaluate the intern.
https://tvma.azurewebsites.net/certifications/cva
Students need to apply for the program by filling out the application found on the counseling website. Students must maintain eligibility through UIL guidelines, provide their own transportation to and from work sites, arrive to work sites on time, and present themselves in a professional manner at all times. Failure to do so will result in being asked to leave the program.
Please join the class remind to stay up to date on class announcements. Parents and students are welcome to join.
Students enrolled in this program are covered for liability on the jobsite under Leander ISD insurance plan. This is not medical coverage.